International Autism Day

The United Nations has decided that the International Autism Awareness Day will be held on April 2. Each year, the UN Declaration on Autism Awareness Day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to promote public awareness of autism and to address it.

67 million people around the world now have autism, which is the fastest growing developmental disability in the world. According to Autism Speaks, the largest national association in the United States that treats autism, more children are now diagnosed with autism than in diabetes, cancer and AIDS combined, and boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism.

Autism is a disorder in interpersonal communication that causes difficulties in forming social relationships that are expected from the child's age. The disorder is manifested in various ways and may include difficulties in language and speech, difficulties in understanding social situations and other behavioral difficulties. In principle, this is a child that parents describe as "a child who lives in a world of his own" (Dr. Mahajneh).